Empire style

Empire style manner of French interior decoration and costume which evolved from the Directoire style . Designated Empire because of its identification with the reign of Napoleon I, it was largely inspired by his architects Percier and Fontaine . Traditional classical motifs, already seen in the reign of Louis XVI, were supplemented by symbols of imperial grandeur—the emperor's monogram and his emblem, the bee; representations of military trophies; and after the successful campaigns in Egypt, Egyptian motifs. Furniture was characterized by clear-cut silhouettes and symmetry in decoration. Pedestal tables with claw feet and gondola, or sleigh, beds were in vogue. The staple wood was mahogany, solid or veneer; brass and ormolu mounts were the chief embellishments. Stucco decoration or painted classical motifs often enriched the walls; the ceilings were plain. The style continued in fashion until c.1830. A simplified form was adopted in England and the United States; a German bourgeois adaptation is known as Biedermeier. The empress Josephine introduced the high-waisted court dress with train, which shows Greek influence. Men began to wear full-length trousers and polished top hats. The style of the first Empire is to be distinguished from that of the second (1852-70), which was gaudy and ostentatious.

Bibliography: See S. Grandjean, Empire Furniture: 1800-1825 (1966) and P. E. W. Cunnington, Costumes of the Nineteenth Century (1971).

Empire style Neo-classical style in interior decoration, associated with the reign of Napoleon I of France. It made affected use of Egyptian decorative motifs and corresponded to the Regency style in England.